Baja Bernie
`Normal` Nomad Correspondent
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Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: Sunset Beach
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Mood: Just dancing through life
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A Glimpse of the Past
La Salina has been around a lot longer than most people think. Even most of the ‘temprano pioneros’—1964 through 1970—didn’t really know the history
of this little bit of paradise called La Salina. We know from the dating of arrowheads and other artifacts that Indians had been camping on this site
at least 2,000 years ago. We believe that the ancestors of the Kumiai Indians had a permanent village at the Jakwatijap (Hot Springs) in the La Mision
Valley long, long, before the Dominican Padre Sales founded the San Miguel Mission in La Mision in 1768.
At that time the Indians still traveled south across the river, up over the cliffs and down to the beach to where our camp (La Salina) now nests along
the Pacific. They camped behind the 20-foot dunes; well protected from the winds and tides. Here they gathered Pismo clams, mussels and sea urchins to
sustain the tribe through the summer while they harvested salt and fished. The fish would be dried, ‘jerked’ and put away for the winter months back
in La Mision. The salt would see the tribe through the coming year.
The large dunes remained and dominated part of the seashore until the advent of three wheelers and dune buggies in the late 1960’s. It is still hard
to believe that off road activity was responsible for the deep level beach that we now enjoy. The dunes keep trying to raise their heads but the
idiots on their noise mobiles seek them out and grind them flat. Mother Nature keeps fighting but in this case continues to lose.
Watch the men working as they dig a cistern or a septic tank. The first few feet are easy. Soon you hear their picks and shovels causing a terrible
racket as they bounce off the thick strata of Pismo clams. These middens contain thousands upon thousands of Pismo clam shells. In some cases the
middens will be four to ten feet thick and cover an area in excess of ten feet across. These were the garbage dumps of those ancient Kumiai Indians.
Year after year they would return and harvest the clams, fish, swim and just kick back. They knew how to enjoy the good life, much as we do today, in
what they called La Salina (The Salts). So now you know how our camp got its name.
The coming of the Spaniards had a terribly negative impact upon this band of peaceful Indians. At the coming of the Padres the Kumiai numbered several
hundred men, women and children. As with all of the tribes visited by the early Europeans they almost died out during the reign of the Padres. Journey
up the La Mision Valley and you will find the remnants of these people in an Indian Reservation on the mesa just east of La Mision. Not much grows
here and the reservation sits on the most useless land in the area. They still speak the Lengua Kumiai and number about 65 souls. Mostly they just
keep to themselves and mingle with neither the Mexicans nor the gringos in the area. Occasionally they make their way to the ocean to picnic on its
bounty.
Wandering down the beach, in the area of ‘Clams Beach’ I came across a family barbecuing mussels on the lid of an old oil drum. We talked for a while
and I learned that they harvest the mussels from the rocks at low tide. They then fill a five gallon bucket with tide pool water, no sand, and boil
the mussels for a few minutes. They then ‘shuck’ the mussel from the shell, sprinkle herbs on them and cook them further atop the lid. They shared
their beach picnic with me. It was delicious! This was my introduction to the Kumiai Indians. The guy had been to otra lado and we were able to
communicate in a mixture of English and Spanish. Until he told me I was unaware that there was a reservation at San Jose de la Zorra.
P.S. I could tell you that for a while small aeroplanes landed now and again on reservation land. Yes, at night and a few of the Indian guys were paid
to off load product from the planes and into vehicles which departed in great haste.
No! I have no idea what the product was or why the trucks raced of in such a great hurry.
This didn't last very long because the Indians began to brag about the easy money they were receiving.............the planes stopped visiting the
reservation after that and the Indian guys lost a source of ready cash.
My smidgen of a claim to fame is that I have had so many really good friends. By Bernie Swaim December 2007
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elgatoloco
Ultra Nomad
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Registered: 11-19-2002
Location: Yes
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Thanks for the look back! My dad tells stories about his dad taking him camping along that stretch of coast in the early 40's. He said they would
bring food down and hardly ever need it because of the fishing,clamming and mussels. They would "donate" the uneaten food to the rancheros in the area
or stop in Descanso valley on the way home and "trade" for peppers and radishes and the like. Good times.
MAGA
marooons Are Governing America
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KASHEYDOG
Senior Nomad
Posts: 649
Registered: 2-21-2007
Location: CARLSBAD,CA 619-990-0270
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Mood: SO MANY TACOS, SO LITTLE TIME... Gotta Go, See ya there.... 
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Thanks , Bernie.... ......As always a great story. I've always loved
reading your books and stories. Please don't stop writing for us.....
Don\'t mess with the old dog...... Age and skill will always overcome youth and treachery! Brilliance only comes with age and
experience.....  ....  ....
Are you getting the most out of life OR is life getting the most out of you ?? 
Twenty years from now you\'ll be more disappointed by the things you didn\'t do then the things you did.
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bajario
Nomad
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Location: Cardiff
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How cool is that. 65 or so natives still speak the language right in the middle of two metroplosis of TJ and Ensenada. I'm just guessing but Kumiai is
the same (band)as the Kumeyaay (sp?) referenced in the southern Cal. region.
Great story. Was in La Salina last weekend.
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windgrrl
Super Nomad
Posts: 1336
Registered: 9-2-2006
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Many, many thanks.
When the way comes to an end, then change. Having changed, you pass through.
~ I-Ching
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Vince
Nomad
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Registered: 10-17-2006
Location: Coronado
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In the '40's my parents would take us down to the La Mission valley area for picnics. It was very quiet and beautiful with friendly ranchos all along
the dirt road. Later in the early '50's, in high school, we drove down ourselves to the area many times. We also would go to the beach on weekends
near where Califia is now. We called it Louie's beach, where we would have a great time diving and surfing. Cooking up the longusta and abalone on the
beach was a favorite memory to savor. We just returned from a drive down to and back from Mulege, and all of that has obviously changed. The sand
dunes are still there, but not as large.
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Neal Johns
Super Nomad
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Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Lytle Creek, CA
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Mood: In love!
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Thanks, Bernie,
It is good to see that us old guys can still write!
Neal
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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Baja Bernie
`Normal` Nomad Correspondent
Posts: 2962
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: Sunset Beach
Member Is Offline
Mood: Just dancing through life
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Neal,,,Ah! yes! It is good to know some of us are still alive
My smidgen of a claim to fame is that I have had so many really good friends. By Bernie Swaim December 2007
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